MARKING MILESTONES The Westview recently celebrated birthday milestones for two of its popular residents.
Silvera joins Calgary Seniors’ Walk
CALGARY CARES!
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Geoff Burtonshaw... Keeping Metis traditions alive PAGE 2
SILVERA TIMES
Silvera joins Calgary’s first-ever seniors’ walk
Silvera’s Community Newsletter - Fall 2012
Marion Holmes
Just call her Captain Effie!
For more than a quarter-century, Marian Holmes has called a Silvera community her home, and now Silvera is helping her mark her own milestone.
Born in Rhein, Sask., in 1911, Effie Sasyniuk of Silvera’s Westview Community turns 101 on Sept. 30. Effie worked on a farm for many years (Rhein is located several miles northeast of Yorkton), and then spent 12 years working as a hairdresser before she married. She has been part of the Westview family since 2010 and she can often be found mingling with her neighbours, an activity she loves. Other activities she enjoys include bingo, horse races, shuffleboard, working on jigsaw puzzles and going for walks. But you can add flying to that list, too! Last year, when she flew back to Saskatchewan for her 100th birthday, she received a bonus present from the pilot who not only let her take the pilot seat, but he even gave her a chance to control the plane. Here’s wishing Captain Effie’s latest milestone of a birthday takes wing!
VOLUNTEER WITH US! Silvera for Seniors always welcomes volunteers who want to help out during special events and programming. Do you have an area of expertise or interest that you want to share? Let us know and we’ll make sure your talents are put to good use! For more information about volunteer opportunities, contact Selina Clary at sclary@silvera.ca or call 403.470.1412.
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Marian turns 80 on Sept. 13. Born in Manhattan, then raised in Cuba during the 1930s and ‘40s, Marian returned to the US to marry. She worked as a bilingual stenographer and she and her husband moved to Calgary in 1979. Marian was actually only in her 50s when she moved into Independent Living at the Jacques Lodges, but as her husband was a senior, they both qualified for what was then MCF Housing. Later, they moved into a cottage near the Westview Community, and then into the Westview building. Marion enjoys shuffleboard, tile rummy, crib, going to the mall on bus trips, and also used to volunteer as a bingo caller. She’s grown attached to many of the staff at the Westview, in particular administrative assistant Loretta and cook Diane.
L to R: Larissa Valle, Cari Gulbrandsen, Pamila Fonseka, Deb Collins, Lee Tunstall and Sarah Price.
Donna McQuay, Confederation Park Community
Shell Canada digs in to revitalize garden at Westview
Monday, September 10, 2012 L to R: Shell volunteers Matthew Laight & Boi Boi Truong with Phyllis Culley & Helen Larratt
YMCA Kids in Motion
My Generation Speaker Series for Boomers...
Oct. 1, (National Seniors Day) Doors open 6:30pm Petroleum Club, 319 5 Ave. SW Live jazz performed by Shaken Not Stirred Tickets $45, call 403.705.3233 or www.kerbycentre.com/boomers
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Do you have a story to tell? Have a comment about something in this issue? We want to hear from you!
Seniors have fun with ‘Cane Fu’ Clara Ho Calgary Herald, September 10, 2012 (reprinted with permission)
UPCOMING EVENTS! BEYOND AGE RAGE: HOW BOOMERS AND SENIORS ARE SOLVING THE WAR OF THE GENERATIONS with David Cravit
You may have heard in the news that bedbugs are making a comeback. These pesky critters that feed on blood don’t transmit diseases but they do cause itching and, let’s face it, the only folks we want to donate the red stuff to is Canadian Blood Services.
Photo: Phoenix Photography
Effie Sasyniuk
Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
Kids from the YMCA’s Kids in Motion program got in their licks at Silvera’s Beaverdam Community recently.
E-mail us at times@silvera.ca, phone 403.567.5308 or write us at Silvera Times, c/o Silvera for Seniors, 804-7015 Macleod Tr. S.W., Calgary, AB, T2H 2K6 (attn. Silvana Saccomani).
They may not have his fists of fury or his fighting prowess, but they are channelling kung fu legend Bruce Lee in a bid to improve their health and set a world record. More than 270 Calgary seniors, joined by their children and grandchildren, gathered at the Silvera for Seniors Aspen Lodge for a half-hour of “Cane Fu,” using canes and breathing exercises to simulate techniques from the martial art popularized by Lee. The hope is to make it into the Guinness World Records book for the most people engaged in a chairbased exercise for 30 minutes. Seated in chairs or wheelchairs, participants moved canes or wooden rods in swooping motions, above their heads and around their bodies, to build flexibility, all the while practising breathing exercises. And after half an hour, it was enough for even the more ablebodied volunteers to work up a sweat. Hazel Gehring, the oldest participant, who turns 98 next month, said the exercise was “tiring” but she enjoyed the enthusiasm the instructors brought. “It was an experience,” said Gehring, whose daughter, Janet
Gehring, also participated in the half-hour session. Gehring said she stays active with daily exercise classes and walks around the residence. Another senior, 93-year-old Sybil Levigne, said Sunday’s activities “felt all right” on the body. But her favoured workout is still to waltz the night away, she said, gesturing at her “sore feet.” Martial arts instructor Rod Coulter, who led Sunday’s session, said these exercises are possible even for seniors with limited mobility, and help build strength and improve circulation. In fact, seniors who have been participating in Shawnessy’s Cane Fu pilot program have reported feeling healthier since taking the class, said Silvera for Seniors CEO Arlene Adamson. “They are stronger, standing taller, using their walkers much less,” she said, adding she hopes to bring the program to Silvera’s other seniors’ lodges. An event like this also helps show seniors aren’t just fading into the background, but enjoy taking part in fun activities and want to live full and healthy lives, Adamson said. Getting Sunday’s 30-minute Cane Fu exercise session into the record books would simply be the icing on the cake. “Seniors, at no matter what age, have big dreams, want to participate, want to do something fun,” she said. “This is one of their goals.” cho@calgaryherald.com
Calgary is not immune to bedbugs – at last glance, the Bedbug Registry website listed some 450 reports in Alberta alone, of apartment blocks and hotels with the unwanted tenants. They can be found anywhere, including five-star hotels. Bedbugs do not indicate a home is unclean. They usually enter by clinging to a visitor who has spent time in an affected area, via clothing or inside suitcases or boxes. And they can hide in furniture (not just beds) brought in from infected residences. At Silvera, we take the report of any pests (not just bedbugs) in our buildings very seriously. We deal with any reports quickly, following Health Canada’s recommendations. But here are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of bedbugs coming to visit: Be cautious when bringing used furniture, especially bedding, into your suite. Have the furniture checked thoroughly for bugs before having it brought in. Clean bedding thoroughly off-site (preferably using hot water and dryer). Avoid bringing in used mattresses. Thoroughly wash clothing worn when visiting an area where bedbugs are a problem. Heat kills them, so use hot-water washer and dryer. Just because they’re called bedbugs doesn’t mean they always hang around in beds. Check suitcases, moving boxes, even that closed laptop for the telltale flat, reddish-brown bugs. If you think you have bedbugs – or any other pest – contact your Silvera community resident manager or on-site administrator immediately.
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In Profile:
Keeping Metis traditions alive
Silvera’s Linda Hardin and Shirley Reddy attend this year’s Kerby Fair.
Geoff Burtonshaw
Starting this month, Calgary-based Apex Pharmacies Ltd. takes on the job of providing pharmacy services and managing Silvera’s tuck shops. Apex operates 14 area pharmacies and employs some 50 pharmacists, and will provide enhanced services to residents who choose to transfer their prescriptions over, including increased on-site pharmacist services, 24-hour phone support, regular medication and prescription reviews, and information and education sessions.
Born in rural Manitoba in 1916, Burtonshaw grew up among the Metis and saw how they were discriminated against. “I went to school with them, and I worked with them … my wife was Metis and we had four Metis daughters,” he says. “I like to say, I was born white, and grew up Metis.”
“From 1978 until now, I’ve been involved with the Glenbow,” says the eightyear resident of Silvera’s Shouldice Community. “And I started on a book called I Remember; it started out pretty small and ended up being 450 pages! “I was talked into writing a Metis newsletter for 12 years … every six weeks.” Through the newsletter and hosting events such as Metis nights at his home in West Hillhurst, Burtonshaw helped people discover their Metis roots. Much of his work was based at the Glenbow as a volunteer. Many folks, he says, had no knowledge of their backgrounds. “If they had a good start on their family, I could take them back to the 1700s,” Burtonshaw says. A year ago, Glenbow honoured him for more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service. He also received the City of Calgary’s Chief David Crowchild Memorial Award in 2001 for his efforts to promote Metis and Aboriginal history. In the late 1990s, he even collaborated with a Metis artist in Idaho on creating a game to teach players about the Winter Count, a Metis tradition. After his eyesight deteriorated, Burtonshaw recited some 17 hours worth of memoirs that were transcribed and edited into a book titled Back in the Bush. “It’s a passion,” he says of his years studying Metis genealogy – and he still heads down to the Glenbow whenever he can.
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It can be a challenge to make sure everyone living in Silvera’s communities have access to top-ofthe-line pharmacy and tuck shop services. But a new partnership aims to raise the bar.
Geoff Burtonshaw may be 96, but his passion for the history of Canada’s Metis and aboriginal peoples has never faded.
Burtonshaw served as an aircraft mechanic during the Second World War, afterwards becoming a union carpenter and moving to Calgary in 1952. When an injury forced him to retire in the late 1970s, he took up writing and found a passion for exploring the history of Canada’s Metis.
Apex partnership raises the bar
SPOTLIGHT ON… SARAH PRICE
As Silvera for Seniors’ new Director of Services, Sarah Price is looking for ways to improve its programs. Price joined Silvera on July 30 after serving as director of dementia care programs with the Alzheimer Society of Calgary. “Coming from a smaller organization to a bigger organization, it was a big change,” she says. “I feel like I’m in a comfortable place.” Price will be working with operations team members to look at how Silvera’s services are provided and identify opportunities for new programming, including “growth opportunities for staff and residents … and building our relationship with others in the community.” Looking at how Silvera’s Independent Living residents are still very active in the community, “I want to look at how we can bring that energy into the Supportive Living environment,” Price says. Her background includes gerontology, and she sits on a national board for adult day services out of the US, and on the advisory committee for the Studies in Aging program at Mount Royal University.
DID YOU KNOW?
More than 13,000 people around the world have watched Silvera’s Sassy Seniors videos so far, and 52 media outlets picked up the story.
Aging Well:
Programs teach arthritis self-management
Arthritis. It’s a word many seniors know all too well. It’s thrown about at the first sign of those aches, pains and rusty joints. Finally, you decide the time has come to see your doctor. But, after it’s diagnosed, often folks don’t know where to turn. September is Arthritis Month, and The Arthritis Society is hosting a series of workshops to teach about the condition, and how to better live with it. “It’s a lonely disease for many people,” says Shirley Philips, executive director of The Arthritis Society. Philips says there are 100 different types of arthritis, impacting 500,000 people in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Although often associated with age, it can strike people of all ages. For many of these people, connecting with others who have arthritis, and learning to self-manage pain can be life-changing. “We’ve heard about some amazing results from people who have been through our programs as they manage their arthritis and learn about new medications,” Philips continues. “People who were almost in a wheelchair are active again.” In September, The Arthritis Society is hosting a number of education programs to help make these vital connections.
Medication costs will not change under the new partnership. “The opportunity for us to enhance our work with residents is absolutely critical,” says Silvera CEO Arlene Adamson. “Apex will help us in our efforts to help people age in place. It fits it with how Silvera is trying to deepen our services.” Adamson says Apex’s enhanced pharmacy services will ultimately benefit residents in both independent and supportive living, though the difference will be particularly felt in supportive living communities with tuck shops. “There will be on-site pharmacists available to have one-on-one consultation with our residents, for example,” she says. Apex president Bruce Winston says his company is ready to provide the two-dozen Silvera-managed communities with a high level of pharmacy support. “Our goal is to try and make sure their relationship with our pharmacists is the same relationship [they] had when they were living Arthritis 101 (A101), developed in Alberta, is a two-hour program covering the early warning signs of arthritis, the importance of an accurate diagnosis, treatment options and an introduction to the self-management concept. A101 also gives participants tools to optimize visits with healthcare professionals. Chronic Pain Management offers more in-depth information and pain-management techniques. Participants can openly discuss their experiences and share ideas with others. Arthritis Self-Management is an extensively researched program developed by Stanford University. This weekly, two-hour program runs over six weeks and offers participants a better understanding of their arthritis while advancing their skills in active pain management. All classes are free. For more information, call 403.228.2571 or visit arthritis.ca.
Silvera is going wireless! Beginning this month, a partnership between Silvera for Seniors and Shaw Communications will see wireless WiFi services made available in many Silvera Communities.
on their own, walked into the community pharmacy, and knew the pharmacist at the counter,” Winston says. “If residents choose to transfer their prescriptions over … we’ll set up an appointment with them, one-onone, with a pharmacist. And we’ll try at least once a year to sit down and go through their medication history [to make sure everything is current].” Winston says residents will also enjoy access to state-of-theart medication packaging, and promises tuck shop operating hours will remain unchanged, “and with the same or similar assortment [of items] … we’re looking for feedback as to what people would like to see within the tuck shops,” he says.
Bruce Winston, President, Apex Pharmacies
“It’s scheduled to go into all of them eventually … all the sites that have common areas,” says Silvera IT co-ordinator Brent Osborne. “We’re starting with the Supportive Living sites and some of the Independent Living.” The new service falls under the Shaw Exo WiFi Trial, which allows Shaw residential Internet customers (those with an @shaw. ca e-mail address) to access the Internet at no additional cost if they’re in a Shaw Exo WiFi zone. “Our residents are becoming greater technology users,” says Osborne. “Their guests and family members who are on site will also be able to connect. The only caveat is you need a Shaw e-mail address.” Osborne says some sites will also have outdoor antennae installed, allowing residents and family members the ability to access Shaw Exo WiFi outside. Visit shaw.ca/wifi for more information. This will initially be available at: Aspen Beaverdam Bow Valley Confederation Park Dream Haven Friendship Manor Mountview Apartments Shawnessy Shouldice Spruce Valleyview
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